FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

Royal Christmas to be spent with in-laws

December 23, 2012 - 9:23 PM

Prince William will spend Christmas with his wife, Kate, and his in-laws in the southern England village of Bucklebury, royal officials said Saturday.

A statement from St. James' Palace, William's official residence, didn't go into much detail, saying only that the prince and Kate, who was recently hospitalized after suffering from severe morning sickness, would spend their time in Bucklebury "privately."

A recent article by Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton, gave some insight into what a Bucklebury holiday might look like for the royal pair.

"The Middletons' Christmas should be blissfully calm," Pippa wrote in the most recent edition of Britain's Spectator magazine. She noted, however, that her father, Michael, liked to surprise the family with bizarre costumes.

"He buys a new costume each year and typically gets a bit carried away -- a couple of Christmases ago, he appeared in an inflatable sumo outfit," she wrote.

British royals traditionally spend the holidays at Sandringham, a vast estate in eastern England, and a spokesman for William said the royal couple would pay a visit at some point over the festive season. He noted that William's absence had been approved by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and her husband, Prince Philip.

'Iron Butterfly' musician dies at 70

Lee Dorman, a bass guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly, who played on one of the genre's most recognizable songs, "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida," was found dead in his car outside his home on Friday morning in Laguna Niguel, Calif. Gail Krause, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, said the musician had died of natural causes. Dorman, 70, had heart problems and was on a transplant list, Martin Gerschwitz, one of the current members of Iron Butterfly, said. Iron Butterfly, a four-man group originating in San Diego, released "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida," complete with its thumping bass riff, in July 1968. It stayed on the national sales charts for two years and became a Top 40 radio hit.

ALSO NOTED: Jimmy McCracklin, a blues singer and pianist who by his count composed nearly 1,000 songs and recorded hundreds, including the 1950s hit "The Walk," died Thursday in San Pablo, Calif. He was 91.

RIHANNA GIVES $1.75M TO HOSPITAL: Rihanna has given $1.75 million to a hospital in her Caribbean homeland of Barbados in memory of her grandmother. Rihanna says the donation to buy three pieces of medical equipment was her way of "giving back to Barbados." She made the comments during a Saturday ceremony at the island's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.